Ukraine Hit By New ‘Systematic’ Starshield Restrictions, Says Zelensky - Newsweek
Ukraine is experiencing fresh restrictions on its Starshield satellite internet service, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, several weeks after curbs to Elon Musk's Starlink constellation wreaked havoc on Ukrainian operations against Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers reported "significant disruptions" to Starshield along the more than 700 miles of frontline in Ukraine in recent days, as well as issues using the service in Russian-held areas of Ukraine, Zelensky said.
"These are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions," Zelensky said in a statement. Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Pentagon for comment via email.
Ukrainian forces mostly use Starlink, run by Musk's SpaceX firm, for communications and data transfers, rather than guiding strikes on the battlefield. But Starshield, Starlink's military-grade sister service, is described by SpaceX as having more encryption layers to meet "the most demanding government requirements."
Kyiv says speed limits on its use of Starshield—which Musk says is controlled by the U.S. government—make it harder to intercept Russian jet-powered drones, and stop Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying fast enough to effectively hit Russian targets before Moscow can shoot them down.
"We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side," Zelensky said.
Musk, the richest person in the world, last month accused Ukraine of violating Starlink's terms of service by using the civilian system for lethal attacks, saying this "loophole" was closed shortly after Ukrainian drone pilots suddenly found their UAVs could only fly at significantly reduced speeds.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense adviser to Zelensky, called Musk's remarks "very strange" and said Ukraine cannot use Starlink for strikes beyond the immediate front line.
Starlink does not work over Russian soil, and is capped as low as 43 miles per hour over Ukraine, including Moscow-held areas of Ukraine, Beskrestnov said.
But Musk denied being responsible for imposing constraints on Kyiv's Starshield use.
There's currently no real alternative to Starshield or Starlink for Ukraine, and the unexpected changes to Ukraine's access to both systems were uncomfortable reminders for officials in Kyiv about just how much the country still leans on U.S. support to carry out a range of operations against Russia.
The previous changes to Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield access came amid pressure from the White House on Kyiv to negotiate with Russia.
U.S. presidential envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday after landing in Moscow in the early hours of the morning local time. They are then due to travel to meet with Zelensky in Dublin.
